AMERE SINGH DHALIWAL AND HUDDERSFIELD: CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED TO LIFE

Amere Singh Dhaliwal, a predatory pimp and key figure at the center of a horrific grooming operation in Huddersfield, was convicted of 54 crimes involving 11 young girls. Judge Geoffrey Marson QC described him as "one of the leaders" of the grooming gang, highlighting Dhaliwal's extensive abuse which included multiple sexual assaults and passing victims to other men within the gang.

Prosecutor Richard Wright QC characterized Dhaliwal as a prolific sex offender who had manipulated vulnerable girls by showering them with attention and offering them drinks and drugs. Wright stated, "He targeted vulnerable girls, he showered them with attention and plied them with drink and drugs. Having manipulated and moulded them in that way, he used them for his own sexual pleasure and effectively pimped them out to other men at organised parties where sex with young girls was the order of the day."

Dhaliwal, who refused to admit involvement, insisted the girls were fabricating stories because he called one of them "fat."

His abuse may have started as early as 2004, with a girl teen referred to as Girl A, who believes Dhaliwal, known as Pretos, was already abusing other underage girls before she came forward. Dhaliwal, along with Zahid Hassan and another man, initially approached her at Huddersfield bus station when she was 13 or 14, offering cigarettes and encouraging her to skip school to get drunk. Despite not truanted, they kept pressuring her with calls and visits outside her school.

Within weeks, Dhaliwal began forcing her into sexual acts. His first rape of her was in a car park at Shaf's snooker club on Manchester Road, where she was terrified of him. After inflicting vaginal rape, Dhaliwal falsely claimed she had raped him and involved others in assaulting her, leaving her with injuries including black eyes and a broken nose. She recounted that he raped her numerous times in different locations, including toilets and Blackmoorfoot Reservoir, before passing her around his acquaintances.

During these abuse sessions, Dhaliwal manipulated Girl A into performing acts such as oral sex, and dared other men, including Zahid Hassan and Mohammed Kammer, to have sex with her. He went as far as putting a bottle inside her during a game of truth or dare.

On another occasion, Dhaliwal directed Girl A to have sex with Nasarat Hussain, who threatened to inform Dhaliwal if she refused, forcing her into compliance. She was also introduced to Girl B, mainly for oral sex, with Dhaliwal repeatedly passing her among his associates. He drove Girl B to sites like Scammonden Dam and Normanton for encounters with other men like Mohammed Rizwan Aslam.

Through Girl A, at least five more girls—referred to as Girls B, D, H, I, M, and O—were recruited into Dhaliwal's circle. Girls I and H introduced Girl J, expanding the circle further. Dhaliwal’s associate and cannabis dealer Irfan Ahmed targeted Girl C, who then involved Girl G, while the Hassan brothers brought in Girls F and N. Dhaliwal also targeted a girl living in a children’s home, known as Girl K.

Dhaliwal faced the highest number of charges, 57 in total, and was convicted of all but three. His convictions included 21 counts of rape, three involving victims under 13, 13 counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation, inciting sexual activity with minors, sexual assault, supplying Class A drugs, possessing indecent images of children, administering substances with intent, inciting child prostitution, assault by penetration, and racially aggravated assault.

Despite these convictions, Dhaliwal, now married and having converted to Sikhism in 2013, consistently denied all charges and claimed he did not know some victims. He argued that his interactions with Girl A were innocent, claiming he took her to the moors only "to admire the scenery" and suggesting she fabricated the allegations because of a personal grudge over calling her "fat."

During the trial, after victims testified, Dhaliwal maintained his innocence, dismissing their accounts and suggesting they were lying. Prosecutor Wright sarcastically questioned him about his claims, pointing out that the victims' detailed evidence and the admissions of his co-defendants indicated his guilt.

Following a 100-day trial, the jury convicted Dhaliwal, and the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years and 312 days. The judge described his conduct as "inhuman" and emphasizing that he treated the victims as commodities for his own sexual gratification and that of others. He stated, "The extent and gravity of your offending far exceeds anything which I have previously encountered."

Dhaliwal, 35, is currently serving his sentence at HMP Doncaster. He initially provided an address on Holly Road, Thornton Lodge, later updating his address to Everard Street, Crosland Moor. He will not be eligible for parole until April 14, 2036, when he will be 53, and upon release, he will remain on lifelong licence.